SIM Member Spotlight: Hispanic Heritage Month

Christina Shuffield brings over 20 years of experience driving strategic IT solutions to her role as Senior Vice President of IT & Cybersecurity at Speedcast . A dedicated member of SIM Houston for the past three years, Christina currently serves as Co-VP of SIM Women, championing leadership and growth within the chapter.

SIM envisions providing its members with opportunities for “Unparalleled Connection, Unparalleled Career Development, and Unparalleled Contribution”. We asked Christina to share her experience with SIM through this lens and to offer some reflections and acknowledgments during Hispanic Heritage Month.

How has SIM enabled you to connect with other professionals in your industry or special area of interest?

SIM Houston has introduced me to so many amazing IT leaders that I would most likely not have been able to meet otherwise. Our chapter has over 200 members with a majority being CIOs and other executive IT leaders within their companies. I stepped into a senior leadership role last year at my current company with new and different responsibilities, and I have been able to learn so much from those whom I call my peers within SIM. We offer our monthly Chapter Connect meetings that cover relevant topics of interest within our industry. I have been able to participate in an Enclave where I connected with others in a much smaller setting. These opportunities have all led to lunches where I could brainstorm ideas with other leaders on how to solve a problem I’m facing and get their insight on how they resolved a similar challenge.

In what ways has SIM helped you develop leadership skills that have proven beneficial within your organization or community?

SIM has been instrumental in my leadership development through the valuable resources and opportunities offered. Our most recent Chapter Connect meeting focused on navigating regulations and laws related to AI, which is such a relevant topic at my current company because we operate globally and are currently defining the governance for the use of AI. I was also fortunate enough to have been a panel speaker on the topic of leadership in the evolution of technology and how traditional IT models are evolving. I also attended the SIM National Leader and SIM Women Summits this year where I met members from other chapters around the country, again expanding my connections with other leaders in IT. There are so many ways that a member can learn and grow from the resources that SIM offers. These are only just a handful of the forums that have provided me the opportunities to grow my leadership skills.

How has SIM empowered you to give back to the profession or community in ways that might not have been possible without your membership?

From the community aspect, our chapter has an incredible outreach program. We provide mentor opportunities to University of Houston students in STEM majors, and we partner with Compudopt to provide refurbished computers to families without access to devices. Additionally, our chapter has donated over $1 million to local Houston area STEM partners. Our SIM Women Houston chapter’s annual roundtable specifically raises enough to award at least four $1,000 scholarships to female STEM students.

Members of the Hispanic community are under-represented in the technology industry, particularly in leadership roles. What are your thoughts on how the industry can improve, and how can SIM contribute to this effort?

Mentoring has been such a big part of my career growth. Companies and/or SIM could offer a mentoring initiative that is more focused on under-represented communities. SIM could also focus on developing partnerships with Hispanic IT organizations, whether locally or nationally, to expand the reach for mentor/mentee relationships. At the end of the day, however, it is up to us to seek out these opportunities for them to be successful.

Another avenue is to get SIM engaged in local middle and high schools to offer education in the various areas of IT. I never had this type of exposure in my grade-school years so I did not discover my talents, unfortunately, until far later in life.

Do you have stories about individuals or entities (professors, mentors, colleagues, organizations, activists, movements, etc.) you'd like to acknowledge during Asian American and Hispanic Heritage Month? Who deserves recognition for supporting your leadership or professional achievements?

There are so many amazing people I credit in my life who supported my leadership and professional achievements. My mom is the one who is most responsible for my achievements. She taught me discipline, and when I was very young, she told me that I would have to work harder than anyone else not just because I am female but also because I am Hispanic. I took these words to heart, and when I finally found my talents in college, I moved forward as quickly as I could. I also had amazing managers, leaders, and mentors throughout my career, even as a college student. I cannot even try to name them all in this space, but they all have one thing in common: they trusted me with strategic and transformational growth and professional opportunities, and provided me with the mentoring or coaching I needed to get through the challenges I encountered, motivated me when I doubted myself, and celebrated my successes.

Are you a SIM member who wants to be featured in an upcoming SIM Member Profile? Would you like to nominate a fellow SIM member to share their story? Email us at [email protected] .